The last month the Harry and Rose being spent with the Dursley's was quite boring and no fun at all. They were ignored by Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, who interacted with them as little as possible. Dudley, on the other hand, kept poking fun at them and trying to provoke them into some kind of action. On the day of the full moon when he did this, the Harry and Rose being screamed at him to stop before they transformed him into a pig, then slammed their room door so hard it rattled. Unknown to them, Dudley had gained a pig's tail from their accidental magic, though they learned about it later, the Dursley's saying nothing to them about the incident. In fact, they almost looked rather afraid of them, something they were glad for.
They spent the time reading their books, each half reading a different one. Not only did they read, they attempted to comprehend the material so they would know everything they could before attending Hogwarts. They didn't really understand it, though it wasn't for lack of trying.
Aside from reading their books, the Harry and Rose being spent time dwelling on what Hogwarts would be like. They felt excitement about the magic they'd seen so far, along with a deep curiosity about what they'd read in their books. They imagined many things, but more than simply imagining their upcoming adventure, they were looking forward to actually experiencing it.
On the last day of August, the Harry and Rose being went down to talk with Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon about going to king's cross. The Harry half cleared his throat to get their attention from the show that was capturing their attention. Dudley, who had been utterly terrified of the Harry and Rose being after the pig's tail, screamed and ran from the room as quickly as he could.
"Uncle Vernon?" The Harry and Rose being asked.
Uncle Vernon grunted, acknowledging what they'd said.
"I need to be at King's Cross tomorrow to get to Hogwarts." The Harry and Rose being added.
Uncle Vernon grunted again.
"Would it be all right if you gave me a lift?" The Harry and Rose being asked.
"You think after what you did that we're giving you a lift anywhere?" Uncle Vernon shouted, his face turning purple with his anger. "You gave Dudley that ruddy tail that we've got to go and get removed tomorrow in London! And why King's Cross, taking the train, are you? Magic carpets all have punctures, do they?"
"I'm taking the train, yes, at platform nine and three quarters." The Harry and Rose being responded.
Uncle Vernon roared with laughter. That couldn't be good, they thought.
"Well, then, we'll drop you off there!" He said. "Not much out of our way or we wouldn't bother taking you at all. You be ready before we are, or you won't be going! Barking mad, the lot of them, you'll see!"
"Thanks, Uncle Vernon." The Harry and Rose being replied quietly.
Uncle Vernon grunted and turned away from them. Quietly, the Harry and Rose being returned to their room and lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. At least they had their ride, but the Harry and Rose being had a feeling it wouldn't be a pleasant one.
At five o'clock the next morning, they woke and changed into jeans, deciding to put on their robes some time after they were on the train to Hogwarts. It would probably look quite odd to walk through the station wearing robes instead of regular clothes, they thought. After the Harry and Rose being dressed and ensured everything was packed, they paced the room for a bit, gazed out the window, then carried their trunk down the stares. It was quite large and heavy, and they curiously wondered if they could find something less cumbersome in Diagon Alley. After placing the trunk out of the way at the bottom of the stares, they sat down on it, back to back, waiting quietly for the Dursley's to wake, feeling a mounting excitement to be on the train to Hogwarts.
Two hours later, the trunk was loaded into the Dursley's car. Aunt Petunia talked Dudley into sitting next to the Harry half, but he refused to sit next to the Rose half. That was fine with the Harry and Rose being, as long as they got to Hogwarts. Unfortunately, Dudley's bulk was such that the Harry half was squished between Dudley and the Rose half, though the Rose half moved as far right as possible to try and give him enough room. It was in vane, though, and they wondered just how much larger Dudley was going to get.
At around ten thirty, they'd reached King's Cross. Uncle Vernon placed the trunk on a cart and wheeled it into the station for them. The Harry and Rose being followed him and thought it was rather nice of him to perform such a service, then he stopped dead as he faced the platforms with a nasty grin.
"Well, there you are. Platform nine, platform ten. And yet, yours isn't built yet, is it?" Uncle Vernon asked nastily.
So that had been his motive, the Harry and Rose being thought. He was going to simply leave them, assuming their platform hadn't yet been built. Boy, would he be wrong, they thought, grinning a little.
"It is." The Harry and Rose being said. "Thank you, Uncle Vernon. See you in the summer." Widening their grin, the Harry and Rose being grabbed the cart and ran straight at the barrier. The Rose half turned around and gave Uncle Vernon a wave just before they ran straight through the barrier.
Professor McGonagall had been correct. It wasn't solid at all. They arrived on the other side of the barrier safely, standing on a platform where a scarlet steam engine waited. An overhead sign read, Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock. The Rose half saw an archway behind them and they grinned again, moving toward the back of the train. The Harry and Rose being hauled their trunk into the train and up to the luggage compartment. It took them a minute even with the Rose half's strength. Once finished, they wiped sweat from their foreheads and sat down, breathing hard, their heart pounding.
They felt too excited to do anything but look around, so that's what they did, spotting many people with their families, pets, and trunks. Just before eleven o'clock, a family of redheads came through the barrier, though it seemed that they were cutting it rather close for some reason. The Harry and Rose being saw them board, then felt the train beginning to move. They turned from the window after watching a young girl crying and waving, trying and failing to keep up with the train, which rounded a corner and put her out of sight. The door to the compartment opened moments later, revealing one of the redheads.
"Can I sit here?" He asked. "Everywhere else is full."
"Sure." The Harry and Rose being said graciously.
"Wow, you remind me of my brothers Fred and George. You twins?" The boy asked.
"No, we're one being." The Harry and Rose being responded.
"What?" He asked, then chuckled. "Wow, good one! You'll have to pull that joke on my brother's!"
"It's not a joke." The Harry and Rose being said.
"Right." The boy said, but it was clear he didn't believe them. They shrugged.
"I'm Rose Potter." The Rose half said, both feeling resigned to a life where no one would believe them.
"I'm Harry Potter." The Harry half added.
The boy stared at the Harry half, more specifically, at his forehead where his lightning bolt shaped scar was.
"Wow!" He said in awe. "I thought I'd never meet the Harry Potter, you're really the Harry Potter!"
"Yes, I'm Harry Potter." The Harry half said.
"Ah, there you are, Ron." A voice said as the door opened again, revealing two identical redheaded twins. "Found yourself a fellow first year?"
"It's the Harry Potter!" Ron said in sheer awe, pointing at the Harry half.
"Wow!" The twins said together, both staring at him also. "We're going to have to tell Ginny about this."
"I really would rather not be goggled at, stared at, or shown anything but any other person that isn't famous." The Harry half responded calmly, though the Harry and Rose being felt angry at this nonsense.
"Oh. Right, then." One of the twins said. "Well, we'll be off, then. Bye, Ron, Harry, and we didn't get your name, but you look quite lovely."
"Rose Potter." The Rose half said.
"Really?" Another of the twins asked. "We didn't know Harry had a sister."
"He doesn't." The Rose half responded.
"Then how are you related?" One of the twins asked.
"The single soul bond." The Harry and Rose being stated.
"Oh, wow, good one! You're having us on, nice! Well, I'm Fred, this is George, and that's our younger brother Ron. Later!" Fred said, then he and George left the compartment, closing the door behind them.
"Do you really have the... The... You know..." Ron asked after a few moments of silence, directing his question at the Harry half.
Resigned, the Harry and Rose being made their decision. The Harry half reached up and brushed his bangs away from his scar.
"Oh, wow!" Ron said in awe, staring. "So that's where You-Know-Who..."
"Yes." The Harry half said. "I don't remember anything, though."
"Nothing?" Ron asked eagerly.
"I remember some green light, laughter, nothing really after that." The Harry half said.
"Wow." Ron said.
"I don't think so." The Harry half replied. "It's not cool or anything, it's sad. I don't even know my parents and I really wish I did."
"Well..." Ron looked embarrassed. "I don't really blame you, I guess."
"I'm glad about that." The Harry half responded, the Harry and Rose being smiling.
"So... What about you, Rose? What was it like growing up with Harry Potter?" Ron asked, his eyes wide and his face eager.
"You didn't believe me when I said that I and the Harry half are one being." The Rose half responded. "We aren't two beings, I am one."
"That's weird." Ron said. "How does that work, anyway?"
"I can't explain it too well." The Harry and Rose being responded. "The Harry half feels and experiences everything the Rose half experiences, along with what he experiences. The same is true of the Rose half, feeling and experiencing everything the Harry half does along with her. I think with one mind and act with two bodies, but each body has its own mind, though I think and feel as one even though I have two bodies. It's deeper than that, words are shallow to describe who we are."
"Wow, that's really crazy." Ron said, though looked confused. "I don't really understand it."
"That's the best I can tell you." The Harry and Rose being said.
"That's really freaky how you two talk at the same time." Ron responded, then jumped. "Ouch, Scabbers!"
He pulled what looked to be a fat rat from his pocket, who was squeaking and squirming around a little. The Rose half reached out and grabbed him from Ron, who sighed.
"Thanks." He said.
"How long have you had him?" The Harry and Rose being asked as Scabbers went still, she handing him back to Ron, but not before noticing he had a missing toe on one of his paws.
"I got him from Percy, it's been about ten years." Ron responded.
"Been through the ringer, I take it?" The Harry and Rose being asked.
"Yeah." Ron replied.
"Interesting." The Harry and Rose being said as Scabbers seemed content to sleep. "So, are all of your family wizards, Ron?"
Changing the topic seemed to work to distract Ron from the oddities of the Harry and Rose being, and he seemed more comfortable when they acted as the individuals they weren't. They felt resignation again and decided to act as individuals around people, rather than try and tell them about their unique bond.
When the Harry half told Ron about his life with the Dursley's, Ron seemed to perk up from his gloomy mood of telling them about his six other siblings and how he knew he'd never be as good as them. Ron had something they never had, though, a proper family. The Harry and Rose being would take that over any amount of money.
"Until Professor McGonagall took me to get my school things, I didn't know anything about my parents, the Wizarding world or Voldemort." The Harry half finished what he'd been telling Ron.
Ron gasped.
"What?" The Rose half asked.
"You said the name! I thought you of all people wouldn't!" Ron responded.
"I'm not trying to be brave or anything, I just didn't know you weren't supposed to say it in casual conversation or at all, really. I mean, Professor McGonagall mentioned something like that, but it seems a little far fetched." The Harry half explained. "You see? I've got loads to learn, I'll probably be no good at anything. I bet I'll make a fool of myself in front of the entire school."
"Na, there's loads of people from Muggle families, they learn things just fine." Ron said reassuringly. "You'll do just fine."
The Harry and Rose being smiled at him.
"Thanks for that." The Harry half said.
"Yeah, no problem." Ron replied. He was quiet for a few moments as he took them in, then said, "You know, being friends with you, Harry, and Rose, if you'll let me... Well, it's not really a big deal after all."
The Harry and Rose being beamed and the Rose half stood and hugged Ron tight. He blushed, embarrassed.
"Thank you, Ron, you don't know how much this means to me!" The Harry and Rose being said as the Rose half sat back down next to the Harry half, delighted at Ron's willingness to be their friend. "Now, if you could accept our single soul bond, that would be nice."
"It's really, really weird." Ron said as he stared at both of them intently, then smiled a little. "But I think I could get used to it." The Harry and Rose being grinned widely again, delighted.
At the Dursley's, they didn't make friends, only attracted the ire of bullies. Hogwarts seemed full of things they'd never before experienced, the Harry and Rose being thought with delight. It would take time, but perhaps more would accept them naturally.
"Have you read any of the course books yet?" The Harry and Rose being asked, deciding on a new subject to talk about with Ron.
"A little, not much, though." Ron confessed. "They're kind of boring."
"I did." The Harry and Rose being said. "I like potions quite a bit. It reminds me a little of cooking."
"Really?" Ron asked.
"Yeah." The Harry and Rose being responded. "It seems a lot more complicated, though, putting the proper ingredients in at the right times, after a certain number of stirs, some going in after the potion's taken off the fire. The reactions some of them have if not done properly is really fascinating, too. It must be the magical properties or something."
"It doesn't really fascinate me much." Ron said. "Besides, I've heard potions is taught by a really mean teacher called Professor Snape."
"I'm eager to find out." The Harry and Rose being said, smiling when they noticed Ron seemed to be relaxing around them and their talking.
Silence passed for a while and the three of them simply observed the scenery as it passed. At around half past twelve, a clattering was heard outside the door and a smiling witch opened it.
"Anything off the trolley, dears?" She asked invitingly.
"Sure." The Harry and Rose being responded as they stood and moved toward her. "We'll take some of everything."
Ron stared at them as the Harry and Rose being purchased some of everything with their money, then returned to the compartment and dumped it on the seat. Ron muttered something about having sandwiches and showed them one, pulling it apart.
"She always forgets I don't like corned beef." Ron said, then added, "Guess you're hungry."
"Very." The Harry and Rose being responded. "I haven't had breakfast and I'm starving. Here, want a pasty? I'll swap you."
"You don't want this, it's all dry." Ron responded and the Harry and Rose being frowned.
"Most of my life I didn't get anything like what you're mother made you, I assume that's who did it. If I had, I'd be grateful for it. But if you don't want those, I'll take them and you can have some of these. Go on." The Harry and Rose being said.
"Well..." His face turned red from embarrassment and he hesitantly handed the sandwiches to the Rose half.
"Oh, thanks." The Harry and Rose being said as the Harry half shoved a hand full of pasty's into Ron's hands, then added, "Go on, Ron."
Ron hesitantly began eating and they grinned as the Rose half also began to eat. The sandwiches weren't all that bad, but as the Rose half ate and the Harry half didn't, Ron asked, "You going to eat, Harry?"
"Not while the Rose half is." The Harry half responded as the Rose half chewed. "Ever had candy and sandwiches at the same time? I'll taste both at the same time, like you eating both."
"Oh, didn't think about that." Ron said.
"That's okay." The Harry half said.
"Wow, you eat fast!" Ron commented to the Rose half, who had finished one of the sandwiches.
"Hey, I'm hungry!" The Harry half said.
"I get it, I do." Ron responded. "I eat pretty fast, too."
"Well, there you go, then." The Harry half said. "Wish we had some water, I'm thirsty. Be back, I'm going to see."
"Okay." Ron responded.
The Harry half exited the compartment and found the witch pushing the trolley. She hadn't gone far.
"Ms, do you have any water or something?" The Harry half asked hesitantly.
"I sure do." She responded. "Most just want the sweets, though."
"I'll take four of those." The Harry half said, spotting the water bottles at the bottom of the cart.
"Right, then." She said. "Twelve Knuts."
The Harry half handed over a Sickle and smiled.
"Thanks." He said. "And enjoy the tip."
"I will, young man." She responded, handing him the bottles which felt ice cold. With a grin, he hurried back into the compartment.
"Well, got them!" The Harry half said, sitting next to the Rose half and handing her one of the bottles, which she took and opened along with the Harry half. Both drank from their bottles at the same time, loving the cold, refreshing water.
"That's better." The Harry and Rose being said. "And refreshing, too."
"I didn't think you could act apart like that, saying you were one being and all." Ron said.
"Yep, we can." The Harry half said, the Rose half on her third sandwich, though was slowing down her eating. She stopped and the Harry half enjoyed some of the pasty's, then the Rose half took her turn to eat.
"Wow, cool." Ron said as he watched them. "I think I'm going to enjoy being your friend."
"I'll enjoy being yours, too." The Harry and Rose being responded with a smile.
It felt good to have a friend, and to share what they had. They'd never done anything like that before, unless it was sharing from one half to the other, which wasn't really sharing in their eyes, anyway. Minutes passed as the Rose half finished her sandwiches and the Harry half looked at a package of chocolate frogs.
"What are these?" The Harry and Rose being asked. "Are they really frogs?"
"No." Ron said. "But check the card. I'm missing Agrippa."
"The card?" The Harry and Rose being asked in confusion.
"Oh, right. You wouldn't know, but the chocolate frogs have cards in them. They're for collecting famous witches and wizards. I've got about five-hundred of them myself." Ron explained. "I don't have Agrippa or Ptolemy and I've been looking for them."
The Harry half unwrapped his chocolate frog with the Rose half and the Harry and Rose being gazed at the picture. It was a man, who had a long, crooked nose, half-moon glasses, and flowing silver hair, beard, and mustache. Under the picture was the name Albus Dumbledore.
"Who's Albus Dumbledore?" The Harry and Rose being asked.
"Read the back." Ron indicated. "Can I have a frog? Might get Agrippa."
"Yes." The Harry and Rose being said, the Harry half flipping over the card as the Rose half handed a handful to Ron. They then read together.
ALBUS DUMBLEDORE CURRENTLY HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling.
When the Harry half flipped the card over, the Harry and Rose being's eyes widened in astonishment.
"He's gone!" The Harry and Rose being said in surprise.
"Well, you can't expect him to stay around all day, can you? He'll be back." Ron said as if it was perfectly normal. To him, it probably was. "I got Morgana again and I've got six of her. Want it? You can start collecting."
"Cool, thanks!" The Rose half said, swiping the card from him with a grin.
"You know, in the Muggle world, people stay put in pictures." The Harry and Rose being said. "And help yourself to whatever, I don't mind."
"Thanks." Ron responded. "And that's really it, they don't move? Weird." He sounded amazed by the information and the Harry and Rose being grinned.
"Seems you find my world as strange as I find yours, huh mate?" The Harry and Rose being asked in a good natured sort of voice.
"Yeah. My dad would be fascinated, though, I bet he'd have a lot of questions for you." Ron responded.
The Harry half noticed Dumbledore moving back into his picture, giving him a smile and a wave. At that, the Harry and Rose being stared, utterly fascinated. Ron enjoyed eating the frogs more than looking at the cards, but the harry and Rose being couldn't keep their eyes off them, enraptured by the moving pictures. Soon, they built up quite a collection of their own, though, but stopped eating the chocolate frogs in favor of opening a bag of something called Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.
"You want to be careful with those." Ron warned. "When they say every flavor, they mean it. You get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and marmalade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he had a bogey-flavored one once. I wouldn't eat them at the same time, either, the color doesn't tell you anything."
The Harry and Rose being, who had each taken a bean of the same color, wisely didn't eat them at the same time. Instead, they watched Ron with interest as he bit into the corner of a green bean.
"See? Sprouts." He said, looking a little disgusted.
The Harry and Rose being ate the beans separately. While the color gave some indicator of the flavor, it wasn't full proof, probably to keep the factor of surprise up. They got many different flavors including toast, coconut, baked bean, strawberry, curry, grass, coffee, sardine, and pepper. They found the candy fascinating, just as they'd found everything else in the wizarding world so far.
A knock on the door interrupted them and a round-faced boy came in, looking tearful and rather nervous.
"Sorry, but have you seen a toad around at all?" He asked.
The Harry and Rose being and Ron shook their heads.
"I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!" He wailed tearfully.
The Rose half stood and walked over to him, gently hugging him, the Harry and Rose being feeling a compassion for his situation.
"I'm sure he'll turn up." She said comfortingly, patting his back as he clung to her.
"Well, thanks." He said, still sounding miserable. The Rose half smiled at him comfortingly.
"If he turns up, we'll let you know, okay?" She said. "What's your name?"
"Neville, Neville Longbottom." He responded.
"I'm Rose Potter, this is Harry Potter, and Ron Weasley." She introduced. Neville's eyes grew wide as he stared at the Harry half over the Rose half's shoulder.
"Please don't stare." The Harry half said.
Neville looked down, blushing and the Rose half let him go, gently patting his shoulder.
"It's okay, Neville. Good luck." The Rose half said kindly.
"Thanks." Neville said, then left, closing the compartment door behind him as the Rose half sat back down.
"Don't know why he's so bothered." Ron said. "If I had a toad, I'd lose it as quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers so I can't really talk, I suppose."
"Well, think about it." The Harry and Rose being said. "His toad's probably a pet he's attached to, like I'm sure you are to Scabbers. How would you feel if you lost him, or he was killed?"
"Yeah, didn't think about that." Ron responded. "Guess you've got a point." He looked down at Scabbers, who was still asleep on Ron's lap. "Well, you know he might have died and you wouldn't even know the difference with how he sleeps. I tried to learn a spell to turn him yellow to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work. Want to see?"
"Sure." The Harry and Rose being said, eager to see more magic.
Ron opened his trunk and rummaged around inside for a moment before pulling out a battered looking wand. It was chipped in places and something white seemed to be glinting at the end.
"Unicorn hair's poking out a bit. Anyway..."
Ron rose his wand and the door to the compartment opened again, revealing Neville with a girl, who was already wearing her Hogwart's robes.
"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one." She said in a bossy sort of voice. The Harry and Rose being noticed her bushy brown hair and large front teeth and found her rather unpleasant, though wondered why she acted that way.
"He was by here a bit ago." The Rose half responded pleasantly, but the girl wasn't listening. She was staring at the wand in Ron's hand.
"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then." She announced, though sounded rather pushy.
She sat down next to him and Ron looked a little nervous. He cleared his throat hesitantly, then spoke.
"Er... All right." He cleared his throat. "Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow. "
Ron waved his wand and nothing happened. The Harry and Rose being hadn't recognized the spell, assuming it actually was one. It didn't seem anything like what they'd already seen.
"Are you sure that's a real spell?" The girl asked. "Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells for practice. They've all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magical at all, it was such a surprise when I got my letter. I was so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard. I've learned all our course books by heart, of course. I just hope it will be enough. I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?"
She'd said all of this in a single breath and the Harry and Rose being stared at her in surprise and slight anger. She sounded rather tactless.
"Ron Weasley." He responded, looking as if he hadn't learned all the course books by heart. The Harry and Rose being hadn't, either, having been more focused on trying to understand the material.
"Harry and Rose Potter." The Harry and Rose being said. "I'm sure you can guess who's who."
"Are you really?" Hermione asked, staring at the Harry half. "I know all about you, of course. I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century."
"Great." The Harry and Rose being responded. "And they always forget about the Rose half."
"The Rose half?" Hermione sniffed disbelievingly. "What are you, twins? But you can't be twins, I researched a bit about the Potter's because I was curious, there's no Rose Potter so you must not be who you said you were, unless, of course, you're related to Harry in some other way but I don't know what that could possibly be."
"If you took a little time to listen, I could tell you." The Rose half stated gently. "I'm excited too, Hermione, but you're coming off a bit rude. I don't mean that offensively, that's just how I see it. I would be glad to be your friend, but I'd like some time to talk." The Rose half spoke warmly and smiled, holding out her hand. Hermione took it, looking a little flustered.
"Of course, what was I thinking? Well, I really am excited to be here heading to Hogwarts, I suppose. And I'd like to be your friend also. So what houses do you think you'll be in? I've been asking around and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best. I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad." Hermione said, having released the Rose half's hand.
"Well, we don't really know yet." The Harry half responded.
"Well I suppose we'll find out soon enough." Hermione said. "Nice to have met all of you. We'd better be off to look for Neville's toad. You might want to change, I expect we'll be there soon."
She then left, taking Neville with her.
"Whatever house she's in, I hope I'm not in it." Ron said, throwing his wand back into his trunk. "Stupid spell, should have known. George gave it to me, bet he knew it was fake."
"It wouldn't be too bad." The Harry and Rose being said. "I think she's just a little nervous, maybe insecure. What house are your brother's in?"
"Gryffindor." Ron responded, seeming to be gloomy again. "My parents were in it, too. Don't know what they'll say if I'm not, but I guess Ravenclaw wouldn't be bad. I can't imagine being in Slytherin."
"I don't know why that'd be bad." The Harry and Rose being said.
"That was the same house You-Know-Who was in." Ron said, flopping back into his seat.
"Oh." The Harry and Rose being replied. "Well, just because Voldemort was in it doesn't mean all bad wizards are."
Ron gasped again at the name Voldemort, then after a moment said, "Well, there's been more bad than good I can tell you that."
"What do your older brother's do now that they're no longer in Hogwarts?" The Harry and Rose being asked after a few seconds of silence.
"Charlie's in Romania studying dragons, and Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts." Ron responded. "Did you hear about Gringotts? It's been all over the Daily Prophet, but I suppose you wouldn't get that with the Muggle's. Someone tried to rob a high security vault, 713 I think it was."
"Really?" The Harry and Rose being asked. "What happened to them?"
"Nothing, that's why it's such big news." Ron responded. "They weren't caught. My dad says it must have been a powerful dark wizard to get around the Goblin's protections at Gringotts. They don't think anything was taken, that's what's odd. Course, everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who's behind it."
"Is that who runs Gringotts, Goblins?" The Harry and Rose being asked.
"Yeah." Ron responded. "Guess you wouldn't know that, either."
"There's a lot I don't know." The Harry and Rose being stated, curiously wondering about what Ron had told him.
"You a fan of any Quidditch teams?" Ron asked.
"Don't know any, so no." The Harry and Rose being replied.
"You just wait, it's the best." Ron said eagerly, then began explaining Quidditch and many of the famous players, talked about the broomstick he'd like to get if he had the money. He was just starting to explain some of the finer points of the game when the compartment door opened again.
Three boys entered the compartment and one of them looked pale and had the baring of someone who was rather spoiled. He stared around, then spoke.
"Is it true? They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment." He said.
"It's true." The Harry half said, the Harry and Rose being feeling resigned once again to the fame the Harry half would receive. "I'm Harry Potter."
The Harry and Rose being saw the two boys on either side of the pale one. They looked quite mean and like body guards. This boy, whoever he was, was reminding the Harry and Rose being more and more of Dudley.
"This is Crabbe and this is Goyle." The boy said carelessly, noticing where the Harry and Rose being were looking. "And who are you?" He directed his gaze at the Rose half.
"Rose Potter." She stated.
"Well I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy." The pale boy said.
Ron gave a slight cough that sounded as if he was hiding a snicker. Malfoy looked at him.
"Think my name's funny, do you?" He asked. "No need to ask who you are. My dad told me all the Weasley's have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford." He turned back to Harry and Rose. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are better than others, Potter's. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."
Malfoy held out his hand and the Rose half stood, stepping toward him. Ron watched in horror and growing anger as she took his hand... And squeezed quite hard.
"That's why you should be avoided." She stated, gripping tightly to his hand as his eyes filled with tears of pain and his face turned red with anger. "Nothing Personal, Malfoy, but it's just that you're attitude of a spoiled brat really gets on my nerves." She flung his hand to his side and he stumbled back, glaring angrily.
"You better be really careful, Potter." He stated furiously. "You'll go the same way as your parents unless you're a bit politer and don't hang around riffraff like the Weasley's."
"Maybe you want to say that again, Malfoy." The Rose half stated as she gripped the front of Malfoy's shirt tightly in her hands.
"Oh, going to fight us, are you?" He asked, though sounded nervous. He made an attempt at a sneer, though simply looked nervous.
"No, not at all." The Rose half said with a cold calm. "I'm just going to shove you out unless you are a bit nicer."
The Rose half let go of Malfoy, who seemed to regain his confidence as she sat back down.
"Well, we don't really feel like leaving, do we, boys?" Malfoy asked, his face regaining its color. "We've eaten all our candy but you still seem to have some."
Goyle reached toward the chocolate frogs sitting next to Ron, who leapt forward as the Harry and Rose being jumped angrily to their feet. Before anyone could do anything, Goyle let out a yell. Scabbers was hanging off his finger by his sharp teeth. Crabbe and Malfoy backed up as Goyle wildly swung Scabbers around and around until he flew off and hit the window. The three of them quickly left afterward, then the Harry and Rose being and Ron heard footsteps. Hermione Granger had returned.
"What has been going on?" She asked, staring at the candy on the floor and Ron picking up Scabbers by the tail.
"A bully named Draco Malfoy came bye to try and intimidate us." The Harry and Rose being stated. "Scabbers, Ron's rat, decided to help us out a bit. We weren't fighting."
The Harry and Rose being failed to mention that they would have gladly done so, and with the Rose half's speed and strength, might have won, too. Scabbers intervention had both prevented that, and given them some entertainment as well.
"I don't believe it he's gone back to sleep." Ron muttered after looking at Scabbers. He then added darkly, "I've heard of Malfoy's family. They claimed they were bewitched to work for You-Know-Who, dad doesn't believe it though. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to be on the dark side." He then turned to Hermione. "Can we help you with something?"
"You'd better put on your robes." She replied after a moment, looking disapprovingly at them. "I've just been up to talk to the conductor and he says we're nearly there."
"Well, you mind leaving while we change?" Ron asked.
"All right. I only came in here because people are acting very childishly, running up and down the corridors." Hermione said in a disapproving and judging voice. "And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?" She pointed at Ron's face.
Ron glared at her as she left and the Harry and Rose being looked out the window. It was getting dark now. Mountains and forests were under a deep purple sky. From the sound and feel of the train, it did seem to be slowing down.
Ron took off his jacket as the Harry and Rose being slipped their robes on over their clothes. Ron's seemed to be a bit short for him, his sneakers seen under them. A voice then echoed through the train, announcing, "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."
The Harry and Rose being felt a combination of nervousness and excitement. Ron looked rather pale. They scooped up the last of the sweets and put them in the pockets of their robes, then joined the crowd in the corridor.
The train slowed, then finally came to a stop. People exited on to a small platform and the Harry and Rose being shivered in the cold, the Harry half more than the Rose half. In response, the Rose half put an arm around him and pulled him closer to her much warmer body. A lamp could be seen over the heads of the students, then they heard a voice speak.
"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"
The Harry and Rose being stared at what looked to be an eleven foot tall man, his large face beaming, his black eyes glinting with warmth and emotion. He looked quite large and intimidating, and one of his hands which held the lamp, looked as big as a trash can lid. His black hair and beard looked rather wild and they vaguely wondered who he was. As the Harry and Rose being made their way toward him along with the rest of the students, they wondered what other surprises would be in store, gazing around and grinning a little.
"Wow!" The harry and Rose being said in amazement.
"Come on, any more firs' years? Mind yer step now! Any more firs' years? Follow me!" The man said.
They slipped and stumbled as they followed the man down a very dark path. The Rose half glimpsed trees on either side of them and they heard Neville sniffing a couple times. Other than their footsteps, everyone was silent.
"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec, jus' round this bend here." The man called over his shoulder.
The path opened on the edge of a large lake. The Harry and Rose being stared in wide-eyed amazement. Hogwarts was more beautiful than they could have imagined it to be, a large castle with many turrets and towers. The large man then pointed to a fleet of tiny boats and said, "No more'n four to a boat!"
The Harry and Rose being was followed into the boat by Ron and Neville, gazing around at everyone else who followed them.
"Everyone in?" The large man shouted, having a boat to himself. "Right then, forward!"
And with that, they were on their way toward Hogwarts across a lake as smooth as glass, the Harry and Rose being's nervousness overwhelmed by excitement.